Don’t tell my husband (actually he’ll eventually find out since he likes to check up on my blogging!), but I picked up a few items that I’m running low on and wanted to “research” to put onto my blog! I tell my husband as a good beauty blogger, I must stay current with all the new beauty products and trends that are coming out almost all the time. My readers deserve to have a well-informed self-proclaimed beauty expert who is up-to-date with the greatest and latest that the beauty and fashion world has to offer. Hopefully I can convince him to believe this because it’s true, for the most part–haha!

Now let’s get to the good stuff! Here’s all my loot from my most recent loot-y call:

Don’t worry, I plan on posting reviews on products as I try them out! I’m excited with everything I picked up and hopefully you are too!

Do you own anything my loot-y call list? If so, can you comment on any of the products? What’s the most you spent in one day doing a loot-y call of your own? Please share your beauty wisdom with everyone! Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

A girlfriend of mine recently wanted to know what were some of the best drugstore brand lipsticks that did not feel drying on the lips and/or get cakey after wearing for awhile. Well, I’m so glad that she asked! Out of all makeup products, I probably own more lip products than any other type of makeup. This includes lipsticks, lip glosses, lip liners, lip stains, and lip balms! I haven’t done an exact count of all my lip products, but I can approximate at least one hundred and probably more! I have a good mix of both high end ($15 and up) and budget friendly (under $10 and can typically be found at drugstores) lipsticks. In my opinion, great quality lipsticks can be found in both price groups, as well as horrible lipsticks in both. My current favorite drugstore brands of lipsticks that I think feel moisturizing on the lips and provides smooth, even coverage without getting cakey would be the following:

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick–feels very creamy and emollient on the lips, gives semi-opaque color coverage with slight sheen, has SPF 20, almost feels like a lip balm, color has average wear time due to its moisturizing abilities, retails for around $6, this is probably my favorite one out of the ones I’m reviewing here!

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Dreamy #140 is a light shimmery pinky-nude.

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Spotlight Beige #620 is a light creamy rosy-beige nude with no shimmer.

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Sunset #180 is a warm rose shimmer.

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Precious Brown #680 is a shimmery mauve-nude.

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick–feels very lightweight on the lips, almost as if it’s sinking in right away (this lippie is great for people who don’t like the feeling of lipstick on their lips!), since the lipstick feels so light on the lips it doesn’t provide a ton of moisture but at the same time doesn’t dry out your lips either, the semi-opaque color that’s almost matte wears very well throughout the day, retails for around $9

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Rosy Nude #065 is a pretty mid-toned rose with brown undertones (very similar to Bobbi Brown’s lipstick in Brown) and no shimmer.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color–feels creamy on the lips (not as much as Rimmel’s lipppie), very opaque rich color with a satin-like finish, wears very well throughout the day, retails for around $6

**Sorry, I forgot to do swatches on my arm for reference. Please contact me if you would like these added!

MaybellineColor Sensational Lip Color in Warm Me Up #235 is a mauvey-rose with brown undertones and no shimmer.

MaybellineColor Sensational Lip Color in Totally Toffee #215 is a deeper mauvey-rose with brown undertones and no shimmer.

NYX Round Lipstick–feels creamy on the lips, give semi-opaque color, wears well throughout the day, retails for around $5

NYX Round Lipstick in Ceto #546 is a light shimmery pinky-nude.

NYX Round Lipstick in Frappucino #632 is a creamy rosy-nude with brown undertones and no shimmer.

Here’s another look at all of my favorite drugstore brand lipsticks:

What are some your favorite drugstore brand lipsticks? Any ones to avoid? What are your must-have qualities in any lipstick? If you don’t wear lipstick, why not? Share your thoughts!

As a former makeup artist for Bobbi Brown cosmetics, I have always cherished every opportunity given to me where I can transform a woman into looking and feeling her best just because I was able to enhance her natural beauty with a touch of strategically selected makeup products, shades, and placement of such on her face. The wonderful privilege of doing a woman’s bridal makeup for one of her most memorable and significant days in her life, and when the bride is an actual friend makes the whole makeup artistry process even more meaningful and special to me! I was honored to be a part of my friend Lisa’s wedding this past weekend by being asked to do her bridal makeup as well as her bridesmaids!

Here are my gorgeous friends:

From left to right are Brynne, Heather, Lisa (the bride-to-be!), Gina, Leslie, and Nicole.

Soon-to-be brides should check out Lisa’s close-up to get ideas and suggestions for their upcoming wedding day. This bridal look is a simple, natural, but radiant makeup application that shows off the bride’s true beauty instead of masking it behind a ton of unnecessary colors and products on her face. In addition to being a perfect bridal look, this close-up would be fantastic for anyone interested in a feminine, soft, and warm color palette for everyday!

Here is Lisa’s close-up-

On Lisa’s face:

Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation in a 50-50 Blend of Warm 3 & Golden 4 used with a bareMinerals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush underneath her eyes and around her nose, mouth, and on very small areas of redness on her cheeks

Here are Lisa’s beautiful bridesmaids and although, I will not provide a breakdown of each bridesmaids’ close-ups, feel free to leave me a comment or contact me at thewordonbeauty@gmail.com for additional information on any of the specific looks shown below–

Thank you Lisa for letting me be a part of your special day! You were an absolutely breathtaking bride and Jerry is one lucky guy! Congrats Lisa and Jerry!

~Amy, The Word On Beauty

Describe your ultimate bridal makeup look. Do’s and Don’ts for brides-to-be? Which waterproof mascara formula holds up the best during all of the tears of joy that are usually shed at weddings? Anyone have a bridal makeup crisis like having too much SPF in your foundation so that you end up looking like a washed out ghost in all of your wedding photos while the rest of your body has been spray tanned a beautiful I’m-going-to-Hawaii-for-my-honeymoon-bronze? Share your comments, ideas, thoughts, and questions!

For those of you needing fresh ideas on makeup looks or you’re just curious about what I’m wearing on my face, here is today’s close-up:

I’m playing on my sister, Joyce’s new Mac Book Pro and using her Photo Book application as well as a traditional digital camera to take photos of my close-up. The colors are coming out differently, but I thought it would be interesting for you to see the differences.

On my face:

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 in a 50-50 blend of Rich Vanilla and Pure Honey all over the face as my foundation

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Birthday Suit all over the eyelid as a base

Maybelline Cool Effect CoolingShadow/Liner in On the Rocks #37 applied from the top lashline to the middle of my eyelid where my crease would be and also lined underneath on the lower lashline, smudged with my fingers on the eyelid as well for a smokier look

Although I have probably hundreds of beauty products that on any given day might be an absolute must have, the following products are ones that I really do believe that I could not live without EVER and am usually wearing and/or using every single day! In no particular order:

1. Eyecurl II Heated Eyelash Curler–

This is an heated eyelash curler usually sold in Asian cosmetics boutiques and can also be found online. Unlike traditional eyelash curlers, there is no clamp as you can see in the picture. The curl is produced when the user has first applied their choice of mascara and then afterwards (YES, after the mascara is applied!) the user will then place the heated end of the Eyecurl II and place the heating element up against their lashes to “set” their lashed into a curl. I have been using this heated eyelash curler for about ten years now and always have an extra one on hand just in case something happens to it. Friends of mine freak out thinking that the heating element can burn their eyelid skin, but do not worry, the heat is quite gentle and I have never “burned” myself. The heat source for those of you wondering is a single double AA battery. Being lash challenged I have found this type of eyelash curler to actually hold a curl in my lashes all day, where as using a typical clamp type of lash curler which is used before putting on mascara never quite keeps the curl intact.

2. Latisse-–

Keeping on the theme of lashes, this miracle product that many of you have probably already heard of through the heavy marketing both on t.v. and in magazines by celebrities such as Brooke Shields and Claire Danes, truly does work and it is AMAZING! One little drop of the Latisse solution applied nightly to each lash line has over the course of two months or so changed my sparse, wimpy, and pathetic lashes into the longest, thickest, and easy to curl lashes that many of my friends and family have commented on! Yes, Latisse is definitely pricey, but so worth it if you are not so blessed in the lash region like myself. The eyes are a major focal point on your face and with lush lashes framing your eyes, how could anyone resist?!?!

3. Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX08–

When I first got this product I immediately had buyer’s remorse and was upset with how pricey this tiny jar (0.63 oz/18 g) of foundation and/or concealer cost me, but boy was I ever so pleasantly surprised to find the contents of this tiny jar to be incredibly saturated with pigment and thus justifying the cost! The high concentration of pigment in this product has allowed me to cover blemishes and imperfections so well that not even products from the Dermablend line can compete! FYI: Dermablend Cosmetics is a line specifically targeting those who have significant areas on their skin that needs highly concentrated and lasting coverage for scars, birthmarks, etc. I don’t have any major skin imperfections or anything of that nature, but I do get an occasional pimple or the mark an old pimple leaves behind that does need some concealing and this product does it so well by matching my skin tone, great lasting power, it appears natural on the skin, and does not feel like heavy traditional concealer. I’m embarrassed to say this because I know better, but even with having this product for over three or so years now, I’ve barely made a dent in the surface because of how concentrated it is–I use maybe a pin point size amount to cover up blemishes. With that said, I must mention that this foundation and/or concealer should be used very SPARINGLY. I haven’t tried it as an all-over face foundation because I just don’t have the need for that much coverage, but I know that this product is also marketed as a foundation as well.

4. Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base–

Alright, back to lashes again…can you tell that I’m a bit obssessed with my eyelashes yet? My biggest issue with my eyelashes is the ability to hold in a curl. As I mentioned above, using my Eyecurl II Heated Eyelash Curler after already applying mascara does definitely help to lock in and set the curl of my lashes, but in addition to using the heated eyelash curler, I do also use a traditional metal clamp style curler by Shu Umera as the very first step in doing my lashes. After using the Shu Umera lash curler, I then swipe on a few coats of the Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base to again lock and set the curl before applying my mascara (which is always waterproof–why?–it sets the curl better of course!) and finally using the heated curler as a last step. The mascara base is a clear thick gel that goes on just like traditional mascara, but really helps to give your lashes that extra oomph (thickness and volume) and it never makes your freshly curled lashes droop! Instead the base holds your curl in place so that when you apply your mascara, your lashes never get weighed down and lose their curl. Truly amazing! There are great reviews for this product on http://www.makeupalley.com as well!

5. Models Prefer Automatic Eyebrow Pencil–

Do you ever wonder what crazy women are actually purchasing cosmetics from those t.v. shopping networks like HSN or QVC?!?! Guess what, I have! One of my favorite purchases is a great eyebrow pencil from a line that used to be called Models Prefer, but is currently renamed YBF I believe. This eyebrow pencil comes in only one universal medium taupe shade that gives perfect, yet natural definition to the brows and has really good texture for being an eyebrow pencil–not too dense, not too soft either, not too waxy, and not too hard. Other eyebrow pencils I’ve tried in the past look way too unnatural and harsh, but this pencil allows for sparse and thin eyebrows like mine to look fuller and more defined in a way that does not remind you of women who clearly use black eyeliner pencil to “draw” on their brows. I love these pencils so much I ordered a dozen of them off of eBay just in case they’re discontinued!

6. Styli-Style Line & Seal 24 Twist–

A long-wearing eyeliner pencil that is self-sharpening, easy to apply because of its smooth texture (no pulling or tugging of the eyelid!), doesn’t rub off onto my eyelash curler whike I’m curling my lashes, and it’s incredibly affordable price makes this product one of my favorite eyeliners in the world! I used to be quite partial to my Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliners since I used to work for them, but I got tired of having to clean my eyeliner brushes all the time so I switched over to these pencils and haven’t looked back! I use these pencils to line both the top of my lash lines and also the inner rim or waterline underneath. They always go on super smooth with no skipping like other pencils sometimes do because of their hard texture. The color seems concentrated (I own them in several black and brown tones) and wears all day long without any smearing or smudging to be seen.

Hands down, these are a couple of my favorite cream blushes! The intense colors in the pot apply very softly once your fingers warm up the product and are applied onto your cheeks. The flush of color looks like it is really coming from within your skin as opposed to color just sitting on the top layer of your skin like traditional blushes often do. I must mention that I mostly apply these pot rouges on top of just freshly moisturized skin and/or on skin that has very little foundation on it or at least very little powder since this product can be a bit dense and will not rub out into natural looking cheek color on skin that is not moist and hydrated enough. Even though this product is meant to be used on the lips as well, I very rarely use them for lip colors because the two shades I own are a bit too bright and too light for what I like on my lips, but I have used them on other people in the past when I worked for Bobbi Brown and they do make excellent lip colors as well!

8. mark Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain in Bare–

A beautiful sheer nudey-pink gloss at first that dries to a very light nudey-pink stain on your lips as the gloss wears off! Lip stains seem to be all the rage right now and of course I got sucked in. Other lip stains by Revlon, CoverGirl, and Maybelline seem to be supersaturated with color that never look quite natural on my lips even though I always purchase the shades that seem to have the word “nude” in them or at least look very nude and natural on the cap. Instead I usually get a bright fuschia pink shade or an ugly orangish-brown shade on my lips that just makes me look horrid! mark by Avon got it absolutely right with their glossy lip stain! The color “bare” is absolutely gorgeous and gives off the most perfect bit of natural rosey-nudey-pink stain on my lips once the gloss has worn off. I can’t wait to try some of the other shades! One more added bonus is the pleasant minty flavor/scent of this product–not some annoying fruity teenager flavor/scent I would have expected from this line.

Now I want to know what are some of your favorite things (or at least today they are) and why?

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About The Word On Beauty

You don't have to be ashamed of your beauty product and fashion obsessions, instead embrace it like I have and subscribe to my blog! A hundred lipsticks in various shades of the same color, a new gotta have VIX bikini in the middle of winter and you live in the Pacific NW, or the lack of self-control when it comes to skipping a visit to Sephora or Ulta when the opportunity arises--does this sound like you? If so, FABULOUS! Subscribe to this blog and satisfy your beauty and fashion cravings :-)